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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bass — the fish
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bank — for money
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bank — for money
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bank — of a river
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mate — a friend
  21. row — a line
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com